1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for identifying interoperability between object identifier-based heterogeneous identifier nodes for a next generation network and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method that enable communication to be performed between nodes having heterogeneous identifiers in a next generation network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The current Internet is configured such that all communication schemes operate with each other in compliance with predetermined rules based on Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
Therefore, all nodes for performing communication in current Internet systems inevitably have the same identification system (based on IDs: identifiers). However, services to be predicted in the next generation Internet may not provide simple information, but may reproduce various types of information in a convergence and hybrid manner and provide services. For example, mirror products, smart phone services, etc. for converging personal medical information and private information and reflecting various types of information, such as the adjustment of treatment schedules in hospitals, based on the converged information, may be representative examples of such services.
In this way, in future networks, resources having different identification systems must be connected to each other in a convergence and hybrid manner, and must be able to communicate with each other so as to exchange information with each other. That is, identification services between resources having different identifiers are first required.
Currently, since nodes capable of communicating with each other over the Internet must comply with the same type of protocol, nodes having the same identifier (ID) or the same address (locator) are present, but nodes having different identification systems, other than TCP/IP systems, are also present as in a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based network or a sensor network. Of course, the identifiers of the nodes are different from each other, and thus communication between sensor nodes, TCP/IP-based nodes, and RFID nodes is impossible in the current Internet. That is, a plurality of problems must be solved, but the impossibility of communication in the current Internet means that mutual identification is primarily impossible.
Even so, the development of new identifiers enabling those nodes to be integrated requires a lot of time and cost because existing identifier-based services must be newly developed or revised in accordance with new identifiers. Furthermore, since it is very difficult to change identifier-based services while maintaining current services, it may be considered impossible to develop new integrated identifiers.
As another problem, even if each identifier is unique in a closed unit network making it impossible to directly communicate with an external network, it may be impossible to guarantee the uniqueness of each identifier when existing heterogeneous identifier-based networks are integrated into a single open network. That is, two nodes in different systems may accidently have the same identifier. Each identifier is generally created in a combined form of characters, numerals, and/or symbols, and thus it is natural that identifiers of two nodes having different identification systems may be accidently identical to each other. In each closed unit network, the uniqueness of each identifier must have been guaranteed, but if the networks have been integrated into an open network, multiple nodes having the same identifier cannot be present, thus causing a collision of identifiers. That is, since the uniqueness of an identifier is not guaranteed, it is absolutely impossible to perform communication between the nodes in which the uniqueness of the identifier is not guaranteed.
Finally, since all network systems are different from each other from the standpoint of configuration, it is impossible for the network systems to operate with each other in an integrated manner over the current Internet. For example, even in TCP/IP, Internet Protocol version (IPv6) has been developed. However, when the Internet protocol has not yet switched from IPv4 to IPv6, and then IPv4 and IPv6 coexist in different states, nodes directly connected to the Internet are present, but sensor nodes must be able to accommodate a case where a gateway must be passed through or the like so as to connect to an external network.
Related prior art includes technology disclosed in Korean Patent No. 1243926 (entitled “Method and apparatus for managing a network”) which defines identifiers (managed object set ID) or profiles (managed object profile) describing the characteristics of a sensor network, that is, a set of managed objects, and allows a sensor network manager and a sensor network gateway (or a sensor node) to exchange such information (information about the set of managed objects) with each other, so that the sensor network manager acquires the information about the set of managed objects and then manages a target sensor network.
Another related prior art includes technology disclosed in Korean Patent No. 0932785 (entitled “System for providing integrated subscriber recognition in heterogeneous networks and mobile IP registration method for the same”) which provides integrated subscriber recognition in heterogeneous networks in which networks using different types of Network Access Identifiers (NAIs) coexist.
A further related prior art includes technology disclosed in Korean Patent No. 0872961 (entitled “Method for communication between heterogeneous networks”) which manages the sessions of mobile communication terminals which move to different home networks implemented as heterogeneous networks in an integrated manner, thus providing seamless communication services.